Automatic piano-player.



I I I Patented n'a '7, 19m. E. m., SK INNER. AUTOMATIC PIANO PLAYER.

(Applicatim: filed 1:. a1, 1000. "In Model.)

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ERNEST M SKINNER, OF DORCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC PlANO-PLAYIER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 673,736, dated May '7,1901.

Application filed December 31, 1900. serial No. 41,670. (No model.)

To ctZZ whont it may concern.

Be it known that 1, ERNEST M. SKINNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dorchester, in the county of Suifolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in AutomaticPiano-Players, of which the following is a specification.

In United States Patent granted to me on the etth day of December, 1900,No. 663,368, I have shown and described certain improvements inautomatic piano-players, the same having for its object to provide meanswhereby greater facility in expression in devices of this kind may beobtained. The same comprises, in addition to the primary or key pneumaryor key pneumatic chamber, which supplemental passage or duct is normallyclosed by an imperforate portion of the music-sheet and is opened forthe purpose of throwing into operation said high-tension bellows andsimultaneously cutting off the low-tension bellows by the registrationtherewith of a supplemental or accent perforation in the musicsheet outdirectly opposite the front edges of the perforations for the notes tobe accented, which latter perforations are slightly in the rear of thefront edges of the perforations for the notes which are not to beaccented.

According to my present invention the apparatus is constructed the sameas before, except that the supplemental passage or duct in thetracker-board, through which the hightension bellows is thrown intooperation, is normally uncovered or open, and the musicsheet is providedwith elongated slots separated by imperforate portions, whichimperforate portions are located directly opposite the front edges ofthe perforationsfor the notes to be accented. In other words, accordingto the invention disclosed in my former patent the high-tension bellowsis thrown into operation by the registration of a supplemental or accentperforation in the musicsheet with the supplemental duct or passage inthe tracker-board, whereas according to my present invention thehigh-tension bellows is thrown into operation by the registration withthe supplemental duct or passage in the tracker-boardof an im perforateportion of the music-sheet.

The details of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novelfeatures thereof will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figurel is avertical sectional view of myimproved instrument. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the tracker-or channel board. Fig. 3 is a face view of a portion ofthe music-sheet. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing an alternativearrangement.

The air or vacuum chamber 1 contains the key-pneumatic 2 andcommunicates through the ports 3 with the large pneumatics 4, having thefingers 5 thereon for operating the piano-keys 6. Each of the ports 3 isnormally closed by a valve 7, whose stem 8 is connected with thepneumatic 2, as shown. Each of the key-pneumatics 2 communicates througha passage 9 with an opening 10 in the upper surface of the tracker orchannel board 11,

over which passes the perforated music-sheet through a port 17,controlled by a check-valve 18, which opens inwardly or toward thelowpressure reservoir 16. The latter-that is, the low-pressure reservoir16communicates through a wind-trunk 19 with the high-pressure reservoiror bellows 20, the automatic valve 21 in the low-pressure reservoircontrolling the passage through the trunk 19. The main or high-tensionbellows 20 is in communication through the ports 22 with thefeeding-bellows 23, the said ports 22 being controlled by aninwardly-opening checkvalve 24 and the feeders 23 being open to theatmosphere through the ports 25, having valves 26 controlling the same.Said feeders are operated from the pedals 27 through the link or pitman28, as shown.

Constructed as above described the apparatus will operate in the usualmanner, all of the keys being actuated from the low-ten sion reservoir16 and all of the notes being struck with equal force. My inventionconsists in forming in the tracker or channel board 11 a supplementalnormally openduct or passage 29, in forming I in the music-sheet 12successive openings 30,

adapted to register with the passage 29 for maintaining said duct orpassage normally. open, and imperforate portions 31 between said slots,also adapted to register with said duct or passage 29 for closing thesame when they come opposite said duct, and in providing meanscontrolled by these parts for cutting off the low-pressure reservoir 16from the air or vacuum chamber 1 and cutting in the high-tensionreservoir or bellows 20, so that the notes accented thereby will bestruck with greater force than those actuated from the low-pressurereservoir 16. In the event of a number of notes being strucksimultaneously, the note-perforations 32 in the musicsheet 12corresponding to the notes to be accented are cuta short distance behindthe other note-perforations and exactly opposite the imperforateportions 31- between the openings 30. The higher air tension operatingthe pneumatics for the accented notes causes them to move the piano keysand hammers so much more quickly than those operated by the lowtensionbellows for the notes not to be accented that it results in asimultaneous or practically simultaneous attack upon the instrument ofthe hammers for the accented and unaccented notes. In the first chord onthe music-sheet 12 (shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings) the three slots 14in advance of theslot 32 register first with the openings 10,

in the tracker-board 11. (Shown in Fig. 2.) The pianohammers are thenmoved, say, onehalf the distance toward the piano-strings.

The-balance of the chord, comprising the slot 32, then registers inconjunction with the imperforate portion 31 on the tracker-board. Thepressure in the key-pneumatic chamber 1 is instantly raised to double(by way of illustration) the tension obtaining'when the first keys wereacted upon. It will therefore be clear that this latter note, or ratherthe.

hammer for striking the same, will be acted upon with much greaterrapidity, overtaking tracker or channel board 11 communicates with anaccent-controlling pneumatic 33, which has connected to the moving partthereof the stem 34 of a valve 35, normally closing the port 36 betweenthe air or vacuum chamber 1 and the passage 37, leading to the pneumatic38 for the accent-valve 39. The

said accent-valve 39 normally closes the port 40, leading from the mainor high-tension bellows 20 to the wind-trunk 41, which communicatesatits upper end with the air or vacuum chamber 1, and the stem 42 of saidvalve is connected to the movable part of the pneumatic 38.Intheaccent-controlling pneumatic 33 is a spring-43, which tends to holdthe movable part of said pneumatic in its raised position. A leak-vent44 is also provided in the movable portion of the pneumatic 33 toprevent the'formation of an air-,

downwardly, so as to maintain the valve 35 in its closed position. When,however, one of the imperforate portions 31 in.the musicsheet 12registers with the duct or passage 29, the spring 43 acts to raise themovable part of the pneumatic 33, and thereby open the valve 35. Y

Constructed as above described, the operation' of the device is asfollows:.When the imperforate portion 31 in the music-sheet 12, whichlies opposite the note-perforation 32 in said sheet of the note to beaccented, registers with the duct or passage 29 in the tracker orchannel board 11, the said duct or passage is out off from the pressureof atmospheric airfrom without an'd'the pneumatic 33 is collapsed by theaction of the spring 43 therein. This causes the elevation of the valve35 and the opening of communication between the 7 air or vacuum chamber1 and the pneumatic 38 through the port 36 and passage 37. The influenceof the air tension from the low-pressure reservoir 16' causes thedeflation of the pneumatic 38,.which serves to open the accent-valve 39and open communication between the main or high-tension bellows 20 andthe air or vacuum chamber 1 through the port 40 and the wind-trunk 41.The tension or pressure from the high-tension bellows 20, being greaterthan that from the low-tension bellows 16, causes a quicker depressionof the key-pneumatic 2 corresponding to the note on the musicsheet 12opposite the imperforate portion 31, and also causes the keycorresponding to said pneumatic 2 to be actua ted with greater force,and thus accent the same. As soon as the high-tension bellows 20 isopened to communication with the air or vacuum chamber the check-valve18 is automatically closed in order thatasudden change in the airtension in the chamber 1 may not be neutralized by the low-tensionbellows 16. The check-valve 18, which controls the passage through theport 17, is an important feature of the apparatus, as the instant anincrease in the tension takes place in the air or vacuum chamber 1 saidvalve is closed and prevents the impulse from distributing the tensionin the low-tension bellows l6 and also from wasting itself by simplycollapsing the low-tension bellows. As the duration of the impulse isbut a fraction of asecond, this is a matter of no small consideration.

All of the advantages of the-apparatus described in my patent abovereferred to may be obtained by that herein described. In addition it maybe stated that one of the ad vantages of the present apparatus over theformer is in the fact that when the music-sheet becomes loose orslackened, as it does during the time that it is being rerolled or isrunning backward,there is no danger of causing the notesto sound. Whenthe supplemental duct or passage in the tracker-board is normallyclosed, as itis in the construction described in my former patent abovereferred to, the pneumatics are permitted to work, notwithstanding thefact that the wind-trunk 15 is closed by a valve, (not shown,) as theoperation of the accenting mechanism when the paper loosens ojr slackensallows the air to gain access to the primary pneumatic chamber. When thesupplemental passage or duct in the tracker-board is normally open, asit is inthe present construction,the loosening of'the cation therewith,of a high-tension bellows and means for throwing said high-tensionbellows'into communication with said chamber and simultaneously cuttingoi the low-tension bellows therefrom, the means for throwing in saidhigh-tension bellows comprising a tracker or channel board having asupplemental normally open d not or passage therein, means thrown intooperation by the closing of said duct for opening the passage from saidhigh-tension bellows to said chamber, and a music-sheet provided withimperforate portions adapted to close said supplemental duct.

2. In an automatic piano-player, the combination with the air or vacuumchamber containing the primary or key pneumatics and a low-tensionbellows normally in communication therewith, of a high-tension bellows,a tracker or channel board having a series of passages thereincommunicating, respectively, with the several primary or key pneumaticsand having a supplemental normally open duct or passage therein, meansthrown into operation by the closing of said duct for opening thepassage from said hightension bellows to said chamber, a musicsheetpassing over said tracker-board having imperforate portions thereindesigned to register with and close said supplemental duct for throwingsaid high-tension bellows into communication with said chamber, andmeans for cutting out said low-tension bellows when said high-tensionbellows is thrown into communication with said chamber, whereby one,

only, of said high and low tension bellows will be in communication withsaid air or vacuum chamber at'the same time.

3. In an automatic piano-player, the combination with the air or vacuumchamber containing the primary or key pneumatics, a tracker or channelboard having a series of passages the rein com m unicating, respectivelywith the several primary or key pneumatics and having a supplementalnormally open duct or passage therein, and a low-tension bellowsnormally in communication with said chamber, of a .hightension bellows,means for throwing the same into communication with said chamber, andmeans for simultaneously cutting out said low-tension bellows, the meansfor throwing in said high-tension bellows comprising a normally closedaccentvalve controlling the passage between said high-tension bellowsand said chamber, a pneumatic for opening said accent-valve, a passageconnecting the latter pneumatic with said chamber, a valve normallyclosing the latter passage, a'pneumatic for actuating the latter valve,communicating with the supplemental duct or passage in saidtracker-board, and a music-sheet passing over said trackerboard havingimperforate portions therein adapted to register with and close the saidsupplemental duct, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A music-sheet for self-playing, musical instruments having openingstherein for the notes to be accented, openings therein for the noteswhich are not to be accented, and supplemental openings therein inlongitudinal line with each other and separated by imperforate portions,the saidimperforate portions controlling the accent of the notes to beaccented, the front edges of the openings for the notes to be accentedlying in a direct transverse line with the front edges of saidimperforate portions and slightly to the rear of the front edges of theopenings for the notes which are not to be accented.

5. In an automatic piano-player, the com bination with the air or vacuumchamber, the primary or key pneumatics therein, the tracker-board havinga series of main passages therein communicating, respectively, with theprimary orkey pneumatics and having a supplemental normally open passagetherein, and means thrown into operation by the closing of said duct forvarying the ten sion in said chamber, of a music-sheet traversing saidtracker-board having openings therein for the notes to be accented,openings therein for the notes which are not to be accented, andsupplemental'openings therein in longitudinal line with each other andseparated by imperforate portions, the said imperforate portions adaptedto close said supplemental passage for controlling the accent of thenotes to be accented, the" front edges of the openings for the notes tobe accented registering with the main passages in said tracker-boardsimultaneously with the regis tration of said imperforate portions withthe supplemental passage in saidtracker-board, and slightly after theregistra'tionwith said which are not to be accented.

In' testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses. w

ERNEST M; SKINNER.

v Witnesses: I

GEORGE H. TAYLOR, DANIEL W. SULLIVAN.

main passages of the openings for the notes

